















































Book_ ;_ 52 - 

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There in the middle of the floor sat a little kitten, white 
as snow, and icith the cunnvngest eyes that iccre now 
busy examining with wonder the strange surroundings. 
Page 45. 








































IV 


AND 

THREE OTHER MISSIONARY 
STORIES 




BOCK ISLAND, ILL. 

AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN 



Copyright, 1923 

BY 

Augustana Book Concern 





AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN, PRINTERS AND BINDERS 
ROCK ISLAND, ILL. 

1923 

RFP - 4 ’23 

©C1A711742 

*| 


iCONTENTS 


PAGE 


Elsa’s Mission Contribution r. . v . 7 

Gangama . 73 

“The Jesus Christ Man”. 97 

Sambo’s Bible . 119 






















4 









— ' 



» 



I. 

“How do you do, Uncle Berger!” 
cried eight-year-old Elsa cheerily, 
when a buggy driven by a middle-aged 
pleasant-looking gentleman stopped 
before the gate of the neat little cottage 
in which Elsa and her mother, Mrs. 
West, lived. Elsa opened the gate, and 
reaching up a sunburnt, chubby little 
hand she curtsied prettily. 

“You are well and happy, I ob¬ 
serve,” declared Mr. Berger jovially, 
lifting Elsa into the buggy. “Now sit 
there while I tie old Browny.” 

7 




ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

“I’ll sit here as long as you want me 
to,” Elsa declared. “May I hold the 
reins?” 

“Yes, if you don’t pull them too hard 
so that Browny runs away with you. 
Haven’t you been at school to-day?” 

“Of course I have. I just got home, 
but I don’t have to begin to study my 
lessons before Anna gets home from 
school. She’ll come in an hour. I al¬ 
ways run to meet her, and she helps me 
with my lessons. I study my lessons 
real hard, I want you to know, Uncle 
Berger.” 

“That’s fine!” exclaimed Mr. Ber¬ 
ger, having tied Browny and hung a 
nose bag over his head. “I’m glad that 
you are so diligent. Keep on, Elsa, 
and you will soon be able to read and 
write well. Then Eva will write to 
you also. I have a letter to-day from 
8 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


her to Anna. She’ll read it to you 
when she comes home.” 

Then he lifted Elsa from the buggy 
and sat down with her in a swing near 
the house. 

“Is mama at home?” he inquired. 

“Yes, she is. I’ll take you in to her.” 

“No, Elsa, this time you must stay 
outside, as I have something to tell 
your mama which little ears must not 
hear. After a while, perhaps, you will 
find out what it is,” he added, play¬ 
fully pinching Elsa’s cheek; “but then 
you must promise not to listen, but wait 
here till I come out.” 

“I promise,” said Elsa, holding his 
hand and following him up the steps to 
the door. “I will wait outside of the 
gate so that I can’t hear a single word, 
and I’ll take care of Browny while you 
are gone.” 


9 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“That’s a nice little girl,” he said, 
letting go her hand. 

“But, Uncle dear, won’t you tell me 
just a little bit now?” coaxed Elsa, as 
Mr. Berger turned to enter the house. 

“So your little ears are itching, are 
they?” he exclaimed, playfully shak¬ 
ing a threatening finger at her. “Not 
a word will I tell you, until I hear 
from mama if you have been a real 
good girl. Then, perhaps, you’ll find 
out.” 

“Indeed, my ears are not itching, 
Uncle Berger, and I’ll wait as long as 
you please!” she cried, running out to 
Browny. 

It was fifteen long, weary minutes 
before Uncle Berger appeared at the 
door, toward which Elsa had cast long¬ 
ing eyes repeatedly. To her it seemed 
that an hour or more had passed, 
10 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

though she had tried to amuse herself 
by patting Browny and watching him 
eat out of the nose bag. She had told 
herself over and over again that she 
was not a bit anxious to hear Uncle 
Berger’s secret; nevertheless she darted 
eagerly forward to meet him when he 
appeared. Her little face was a verit¬ 
able question mark, and Mr. Berger 
well knew what she wanted, though 
she did not open her mouth. 

“Run along in to mama, Elsa, and 
she will tell you. If you hurry, you 
will learn the secret before Anna gets 
home, and you can tell her all about 
it,” said Mr. Berger, untying Browny 
and preparing to drive off. “Next 
Friday I will come again and talk it 
over with you. Good-by, Elsa !” 4 

“Good-by, Uncle Berger! I’ll be 
waiting for you on Friday,” cried Elsa. 

11 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Mr. Berger turned to her and nodded 
pleasantly. As soon as the buggy had 
vanished at the turn of the road, Elsa 
sped in to her mother crying: “O, 
mama, what was the secret that Uncle 
Berger had to tell you?” 

“It was this, my child, Uncle Berger 
promised to take you and Anna with 
him to Oak Point when he returns from 
town next Friday. He will be here 
about the same time as to-day. Anna 
will have to ask her teacher for per¬ 
mission to leave school an hour earlier, 
so that you will reach Oak Point be¬ 
fore it gets too late. As there is no 
school on Saturday, you can stay there 
all day. On Sunday Uncle Berger has 
promised to take you to Sunday school, 
and then he will drive you home to¬ 
ward evening. Eva has written all 


12 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


about it. Anna will read you the letter 
when she comes home.” 

“Oh, what fun! What fun! How 
good Uncle Berger is — and you, too, 
mama!” Elsa threw her arms about 
her mother. 

“Uncle Berger never forgets what 
he promises, Elsa, dear,” Mrs. West 
declared. “If God gives us all our 
health, you will surely make the trip. 
But is my little girl forgetting that 
there is One who is much kinder than 
either mama or Uncle Berger?” 

“God,” whispered Elsa. 

“Have you thanked Him, Elsa?” 

“No,” stammered Elsa with flaming 
cheeks. “But I will thank Him to¬ 
night when I say my evening prayer.” 

“That is right and proper; but need 
you wait till then? If you receive 
something from me or Uncle Berger, 
13 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


would you then wait several hours be¬ 
fore thanking for it?” 

“No-o-o, but when you or Uncle 
Berger give me something, I only have 
to say thank you, and that doesn’t take 
any time at all,” declared Elsa. 

“What, then, do you have to say to 
God that takes so much time?” per¬ 
sisted the mother. 

“Well — when we thank God, we 
usually read in the Bible and say our 
prayers, and we always do that morn¬ 
ing and evening.” 

“That’s true; but if you love some 
one, as for instance Uncle Berger, and 
he should visit you morning and night, 
would you put off till evening to thank 
him, if he should bring you something 
in the middle of the day?” 

“Why, certainly not, mama!” Elsa 


14 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


declared. “But can we just say, ‘thank, 
you’ to God also?” 

“Certainly, my child! And when 
He gives you some good thing, he 
listens for your ‘thank you, dear God/ 
and when He hears it, it makes Him 
happy, for He then understands that 
you know that the gift is from Him.” 

“Then I am always going to thank 
God for His blessings whether it is 
morning, noon, or night,” Elsa de¬ 
clared. 

“Do so, my little girl! Now run out 
and meet Anna; she will soon be com¬ 
ing,” the mother said, glancing at the 
clock. 

Elsa ran out into the road, but Anna 
was not yet in sight. 

“Thank you, dear God, for letting 
us go to Oak Point!” she whispered as 
she walked along. “How glad Anna 
15 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

will be to hear the news!” she thought, 
and again started to run. Just then 
Anna appeared at a bend in the road. 

“Anna, Anna, we are going out to 
Oak Point next Friday!” she shouted 
eagerly. 

“Are we really?” Anna exclaimed, 
her gentle face breaking into a happy 
smile. “Who told you, and is it real 
sure?” she added. 

“Indeed, it is! Uncle Berger was 
here £ while ago and told mama all 
about it. He will come again on Fri¬ 
day to take us home with him, and we 
can stay until Sunday afternoon. All 
Saturday at Oak Point to amuse our¬ 
selves, and then on Sunday he will take 
us and Eva to Sunday school and then 
drive us home in the afternoon! Aren’t 
you glad, Anna?” 

“Of course lam! I want to see Eva 
16 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


so much; she is the best friend I have. 
What time on Friday will Uncle Ber¬ 
ger be here?” 

“The same time as to-day, and you 
are to ask your teacher for permission 
to leave school an hour earlier. But 
you seem to like Eva better than Uncle 
Berger,” Elsa pouted. “Isn’t he just 
as good and kind as Eva?” 

“Of course he is; but don’t you see 
that I can have more fun with Eva?” 

“No, I don’t!” Elsa declared posi¬ 
tively. “You can have the best time in 
the world with Uncle Berger!” 

“It must be this way,” said Anna: 
“he likes you best, and Eva likes me 
best. But I’m sure that we like them 
both, and Aunt Berger, too, don’t we, 
Elsa?” 

“Of course we do,” Elsa declared 
more cheerfully. “You can like Eva 
17 

Elsa’s Mission Contribution. 2 . 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


best, and I will like Uncle Berger best, 
and be with him when you and Eva 
begin to talk of all those school matters 
that I don’t understand anything about. 
Eva has written you a letter which 
mama got from Uncle Berger.” 

“Has she?” Anna exclaimed radi¬ 
antly, as she and Elsa ran hand in hand 
to the house. “Good evening, mama! 
Has Eva written me a letter?” she 
eagerly inquired. 

“Good evening, my girl! Lay aside 
your bag, and take off your hat, and 
then you can read it to us,” the mother 
said, handing Anna the letter; “and 
here is a knife to open it with.” 

Anna examined the address on the 
envelope. It was such fun to see her 
own name on a letter! And then it was 
her letter, and no one but she could 
open it. The mother smiled lovingly 
18 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


upon her girls, while Elsa showed 
some impatience at Anna’s delay. But 
now the letter was opened and Anna 
read: 

“Oak Point, June 4th, 1892. 
My dear friend Anna! 

Aren’t you glad that you and Elsa 
can come out here Friday? All spring, 
I have been asking father and mother 
if I couldn’t invite you and Elsa to 
come here; but they have always an¬ 
swered that we should wait till it grows 
fine and warm, so that we can roam 
about in the woods and meadows, or 
row on the lake. And now it is so beau¬ 
tiful out here, and I am glad that you 
didn’t come earlier, for then, perhaps, 
you couldn’t come next Friday. Gus- 
taf and Ellen from Birchwood will be 
over for a while on Saturday. Gustaf 
is so big and strong that he can take us 
19 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

all a rowing on the lake. You and Elsa 
are to stay until Sunday afternoon. 
Oh, I am so glad, so glad! Now I am 
not going to write any more, as we will 
soon meet. Won’t we have much to 
say to each other? 

Greet Auntie West and Elsa for me. 
Love and greetings to you, my best 
friend, from your best friend, 

Eva Berger.” 

That evening when Anna and Elsa 
had gone to bed after mother had 
heard their evening prayer, they lay 
awake for a long time discussing in a 
whisper the good times they expected 
to have at Oak Point. Finally, how¬ 
ever, the sandman closed their eyes, 
but even then they had pleasant dreams 
of rides with Uncle Berger, rowing 
trips on the lake, and merry sports with 
Eva, Gustaf, and Ellen. 

20 



ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Anna and Elsa had formerly lived 
nearer Oak Point on a place just as 
large and fine as that was; but when 
their father died three years ago, the 
mother found it necessary to move to 
the little cottage where they now lived. 
At first their new quarters seemed 
rather small and crowded; but after 
mother and Anna had arranged all 
things cozily, they began to feel quite 
at home. The only drawback was that 
they now lived so far from Oak Point. 
Already the first year Mrs. West had 
planted fruit trees, berry bushes and 
shrubbery about the cottage. Uncle 
Berger had furnished these things and 
helped her set them out. They had 
thrived from the very first, and by this 
time the little garden presented a pros¬ 
perous appearance and gave great 
promise for the future. 


21 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


II. 

Friday morning dawned bright and 
radiant. As usual Anna arose some 
time before her sister to help her 
mother with the morning work. 

“Is Elsa awake?” the mother called 
from the kitchen where she was pre¬ 
paring breakfast. 

“No, she’s still asleep,” Anna re¬ 
plied. 

“Wake her, then; she mustn’t sleep 
any longer.” 

“Elsa, you must get up now!” called 
Anna. Elsa half opened her eyes only 
to close them again. She seemed to 
Anna rather flushed with heat. 

“Elsa!” Anna called, louder this 
time, and caught up Elsa’s hand rest¬ 
ing upon the quilt. To Anna’s aston¬ 
ishment the hand was burning hot. 

22 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Elsa’s only response was to turn over 
restlessly on her side. 

“Mama!” called Anna, “she doesn’t 
awake. I am afraid she is sick.” 

The mother hurried in, examined 
her pulse. Elsa’s eyes flew open; they 
seemed bright and feverish. 

“How does my little girl feel?” the 
mother asked, gently stroking Elsa’s 
brow. 

“I don’t know. I’m so hot, and my 
head aches,” she answered feebly. 

“You will soon be better if you lie 
real still. You must not go to school 
to-day,” said the mother soothingly. 

Anna seemed very much disturbed. 
“How is she going to be able—?” she 
started to say. 

A warning look from her mother left 
the question unfinished. 

“Elsa will remain home from school 
23 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


to-day. You will inform her teacher 
that Elsa is sick. Now you go and get 
ready for school.” 

In the kitchen the mother warned 
Anna, saying: “You must not say any¬ 
thing to Elsa about the trip to Oak 
Point. I am glad that she did not re¬ 
member it, and I fear that she will not 
be able to go this afternoon.” 

“And can’t I go neither?” wailed 
Anna tearfully. 

“Yes, if Elsa doesn’t grow much 
worse, you may go. Perhaps Uncle 
Berger will invite you again before the 
summer is over so that Elsa can go 
along.” 

Anna left for school with lagging 
steps. She felt so sorry that Elsa 
could not make the trip, but could not 
help feeling glad that she herself did 
not have to remain at home. She did 
24 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


so want to meet Eva, and reflecting 
upon the good times she would enjoy 
at Oak Point, she for a while forgot 
all about Elsa’s sickness. 

All forenoon Elsa was so sick that 
she remembered nothing about the trip 
to Oak Point, but when she occasion¬ 
ally fell into troubled slumbers, the 
mother could hear her mumble bro¬ 
kenly: “Dear Uncle, let me drive-— 
what fun — Don’t run so fast, Eva — 
Oh, Gustaf, row out to the island,” and 
so forth. When she awoke at noon, she 
was bathing in sweat; but when Mrs. 
West had changed her linen, she fell 
into a deep, calm sleep and did not 
seem nearly so feverish. She was still 
sleeping when Anna came from school, 
and even when Uncle Berger drove up 
to the house. Mrs. West met him at 
the gate. 


25 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“Good evening, Mary!” he called. 
“Are the girls ready?” 

“Anna is ready, but Elsa took sick 
this morning, so that I fear she must 
stay at home.” 

“That’s too bad! She must take it 
pretty hard, poor dear,” said Mr. Ber¬ 
ger. 

“She has been too sick to think about 
it,” Mrs. West declared. “But she 
seems better now. She is sleeping 
soundly, and we will not awaken her. 
It will be better for her not to know 
when Anna departs.” 

“Yes, that’s best,” agreed Mr. Ber¬ 
ger. “When she wakes up, tell her 
from me that some fine day when vaca¬ 
tion comes, I will drive in and fetch 
you all three for a long visit at Oak 
Point. Do you agree to that, Mary?” 

“With pleasure, and thank you! It 
26 


MSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


will be good news for my little sick 
one. It’s only a cold and will soon 
pass over, I hope.” 

“I hope so, too,” said Mr. Berger 
warmly. “But as I am passing the 
doctor’s anyway, I’ll send him over to 
take a look at Elsa. He won’t refuse 
to come, as it’s only a short way and a 
fine evening. But what shall we hit 
upon to console Elsa with? I have it! 
Give her this bag when she wakes. 
Tell her that Uncle Berger has not 
forgotten her, even if she couldn’t go 
along this time. Well, good-by, Mary!” 
he said as he stepped into the buggy 
where Anna was already sitting. 

“Good-by, and thank you for your 
kindness!” called Mrs. West as they 
drove off. 

Several hours later Elsa awoke. 

“Good morning, mama! Shall I get 
27 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


up now?” she asked, sitting up in bed. 

“I’m afraid you haven’t the strength, 
Elsa dear. You have been quite sick,” 
the mother explained gently. 

Elsa sank wearily back upon her pil¬ 
low, sighing, “I’m so tired, mama; and 
my head aches so!” 

After a while her eyes flew open 
with a startled look, and she asked, 
“Isn’t it to-day we are going to Oak 
Point?” 

“You aren’t strong enough to go to¬ 
day, Elsa; but Uncle Berger promised 
to come and fetch us all three when 
vacation comes,” the mother said sooth- 
inly. 

“And Anna, couldn’t she go neith¬ 
er?” 

“Yes, she drove off with Uncle Ber¬ 
ger while you were sleeping. We 
didn’t want to wake you. But Uncle 
28 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Berger didn’t forget you, for he left 
this bag for you.” 

Elsa took the bag, but laid it un¬ 
opened by her side. Tears began to 
trickle down her cheeks. In silence 
the mother sat gently stroking her 
brow. She realized that Elsa needed 
the relief of tears before she could be 
consoled over her great disappoint¬ 
ment. After a while Elsa opened the 
bag, but she did not taste of the goodies 
it contained, and closing it again she 
held it in her hand until at length the 
mother knew by the regular breathing 
that she was asleep. 

Later in the evening the kind old 
doctor made his call. He stayed a long 
while conversing with Mrs. West and 
Elsa. During the course of the con¬ 
versation he learned that because of 


29 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


her sickness Elsa had missed the pleas¬ 
ure of a visit to Oak Point. 

“You will soon be well again, my 
little friend,” he assured her. 

“But why should I get sick just to¬ 
day?” asked Elsa with tears in her 
eyes. “Now I must stay at home while 
Anna is enjoying herself at Oak Point 
with auntie and uncle and Eva.” 

“But don’t you realize, little one, 
how lonesome mama would have been, 
if both of you had gone? And let me 
tell you, Elsa, that it wouldn’t be good 
for us if we always had all the pleasure 
that we desire. Then we would suffer 
as the earth does when God lets the 
sun shine on it continually. Haven’t 
you noticed what happens to the trees, 
and bushes, and flowers when the sun 
shines down on them day after day, 
and no rain falls?” 


30 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“They wither away,” said Elsa after 
a moment’s reflection. 

“And why do they wither?” the doc¬ 
tor asked. 

“Because they get no rain.” 

“There you have it! When there is 
no rain for many days at a time, and 
the sun shines hot and scorching, the 
earth becomes dry and hard. Then the 
tender roots way down in the ground 
find no nourishment to support the 
growing things, and the result is that 
they suffer like we do when we get 
nothing to eat.” 

“They get sick, don’t they?” cried 
Elsa, who had listened attentively to 
the doctor’s words. 

“Yes, when their leaves begin to 
wither, it is a sign that they are sick, 
and if they do not soon get nourish¬ 
ment, they may die.” 

31 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

This thought startled Elsa. She 
dearly loved the flowers, trees, and 
bushes in the garden. What if they 
should die! 

“Then I am going to pray God to 
let it rain on them,” she declared. 
“Hitherto Fve always wished for nice 
weather, because I get so lonesome and 
sad when it rains.” 

“Of course,” said the wise old doc¬ 
tor, “your flowers need sunshine and 
fine days also; and God gives us many 
such days in the summer time. But 
we must learn to thank God even for 
the rainy days, for they also are useful. 
In like manner we must remember that 
our hearts are like the earth in whose 
soil many beautiful flowers should 
grow which need both rain and sun¬ 
shine. Can you tell me what I mean 
by the sunshine that warms our 
hearts?” . 32 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“The pleasures we have,” Elsa re¬ 
plied after reflecting a moment. 

“Yes, the sunshine is the happiness 
that God gives us. But what is the 
rain, then, that falls upon the heart?” 

“Our sorrows and trials,” was Elsa’s 
subdued response. 

“You understand then, don’t you, 
that God is good to you even to-day, 
though He has sent this sickness upon 
you?” 

“Yes, but what are the flowers that 
grow in our hearts?” asked Elsa trying 
to grasp the lesson fully. 

“Mama will have to tell you that,” 
declared the doctor, rising. “Now you 
must go to sleep so that you will soon 
get well.” 

Then he gave brief directions to 
Mrs. West as to the nursing that Elsa 
should have till she grew well and 
33 

Elm's Mission Contribution. 3. 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


strong again. He refused the prof¬ 
fered fee, declaring: “It has been a 
pleasure to me to make your acquaint¬ 
ance. I have desired to know you, 
Mrs. West, ever since I observed to 
my joy how your little garden has im¬ 
proved since you moved into the cot¬ 
tage. It pleased me also to see how 
diligently your little girls assisted you 
in this work. Now, Elsa, I am going 
to leave some medicine for you which 
you are to take whenever your mama 
gives it to you, even if it does not taste 
so very good. It will do you good just 
like the rain, you see. And later on 
when the fruit in my garden ripens, 
you and your sister are to come over 
and gather apples, and cherries, and 
other things both for yourselves and 
mama. Then when your fruit trees 
begin to bear, I will come over here to 
34 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


get some. Will you let me do that?” 

“Yes, doctor, you shall have half of 
our apples and gooseberries!” Elsa de¬ 
clared. 

“That’s fine! When the time comes, 
we will, no doubt, agree as to what my 
share should be. But now I must bid 
you good night!” With these kind 
words and a friendly smile the doctor 
departed. 

Elsa was now feeling quite well, and 
she chattered with her mother for a 
while about the doctor and his pretty 
garden, which she had admired many 
times in passing. She also nibbled of 
the contents of the bag, but there was 
no need on the part of her mother to 
warn her against eating too much, for 
presently she was again sound asleep. 
The doctor’s visit had cheered her and 
done her good. 


35 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


On Saturday Elsa was still quite 
weak. She remained in bed all fore¬ 
noon, but was permitted to dress and 
walk about a while in the afternoon. 
She did not seem to brood over her 
disappointment as much as her mother 
had feared. The doctor’s visit had 
turned her thoughts to other things. 

That day she talked continually 
about the doctor and what he had said. 
“He is almost as good and kind as 
Uncle Berger,” she declared. She 
asked her mother about the flowers that 
ought to grow in the heart, and during 
the course of the day learned the names 
of a number of these, such as patience, 
love, cheerfulness, etc. Her mother 
also reminded her that weeds might 
shoot up in Elsa’s heart as well as in 
her garden, and that it was necessary 
to remove these. Toward evening 
36 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


when the sun was not too hot Mrs. 
West took Elsa for a walk in their little 
garden. 

“Look, mama,” Elsa exclaimed, 
“there are lots of weeds already, though 
we cleaned them all out last Saturday. 
Do the weeds in our hearts grow just 
as fast, mama?” 

“I am afraid they do, my child, 
They threaten to shoot up every day.” 

“How are we to clean them out, 
mama?” asked Elsa earnestly. 

“If I were to give you our whole 
garden to water and keep free from 
weeds all summer long, would you be 
able to do it?” the mother inquired. 

Elsa pondered a while. At first she 
was going to say yes; but then she re¬ 
membered that both mama, and Anna, 
and herself had labored with the weeds 
till they were tired last Saturday and 
37 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


many other days, and that mama and 
Anna had done much more than she 
had. “No, mama,” she admitted, “I 
wouldn’t have the strength to do it.” 

“How, then, is our garden to be kept 
clean?” mother inquired with a gentle 
smile. 

“You, mama, and Anna must help 
me.” 

“Who do you think does the most?” 

“Mama of course!” 

“It’s the same way with our hearts, 
Elsa dear. There are so many weeds 
that of ourselves we are not able to 
keep our hearts clean. But if we really 
want to keep the weeds down, there is 
One who can do it much better than we 
can ourselves. Do you know who it is?” 

“God!” Elsa whispered. 

“That’s right. Now if you notice 
that a weed threatens to grow up in 
38 


ELSA 9 8 MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


your heart, for example, if you are 
tempted to say a naughty word in 
anger to Anna, then you are to remem¬ 
ber that anger is an ugly weed. Treat 
it as you do the weeds among the flow¬ 
ers. What do you do to them?” 

“I pull them up.” 

“Then do the same with anger, and 
the naughty words will never be ut¬ 
tered.” 

“But I’m so quick to say naughty 
words when I am angry. They come 
before I have time to think. What 
shall I do then?” 

“You must pray God to help you 
remember that all words are either 
ugly weeds or pretty flowers growing 
in your heart. If you ask God’s help, 
He will remind you of this, and save 
you from saying or even thinking bad 
thoughts. But if you forget yourself 
39 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

and be naughty, what must you do 
then?” 

“Pray God to forgive me,” Elsa re¬ 
plied softly. 

“Yes, and that’s also a way of clean¬ 
ing out the weeds. But it is always 
better to clean out the weeds before 
they have time to grow up out of our 
hearts and become wicked words and 
deeds. You understand that, don’t 
you?” 

“Yes, I’m going to try real hard 
never to be naughty any more,” Elsa 
promised. 

While conversing thus they had 
again entered the house, and before 
long Elsa went to bed after having 
joined her mother in praying God to 
keep her heart free from the weeds of 
sin and evil. 

On Sunday morning Elsa awoke as 
40 


VISA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


soon as her mother. “Mama, may I 
get up and help you as Anna always 
do'es?” she asked. 

“Yes, my child, if you feel strong 
enough,” the mother replied. But 
there was not much to do, as Mrs. West 
finished up most of the work on Satur¬ 
days so that Sunday would be a real 
day of rest for her. After breakfast 
they decided to go out for a morning 
walk. While the mother locked up 
the house, Elsa ran out on the road in 
the direction of Oak Point and stood 
waiting for her mother. She under¬ 
stood her little daughter’s unspoken 
wish, and they set out in the desired 
direction. 

“Mama, at what time do you think 
Anna will return?” Elsa presently in¬ 
quired. 

“I can’t say for sure; but not before 

41 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


some time this afternoon, I am afraid. 
I hope, though, that they will come 
early enough so that Uncle Berger can 
visit with us a while.” 

Elsa was unusually quiet to-day. 
She was feeling more lonesome for 
Anna than the day before. She felt so 
well and strong now that she could 
have run a race with both Anna and 
Eva. As she walked along now, she 
was thinking about all the fun they 
were having without her. She even 
wondered if they remembered her at 
all. 

Suddenly she heard the rumble of an 
approaching vehicle. Her heart began 
to beat loudly. What if Uncle Berger 
should be coming with Anna now! 
“But no,” she thought, “they can’t be 
coming yet.” 

Then the buggy appeared over a rise 
42 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


in the road some distance away. She 
could see that a man was sitting in the 
front seat and two girls in the rear seat. 
Elsa gazed and gazed, then suddenly 
dropped her mother’s hand and started 
to run, shouting, “Uncle Berger, Uncle 
Berger!” Soon she had reached the 
buggy, her eyes sparkling and her face 
flushed. 

“So my little madcap is well again!” 
he hailed. “Well, I suppose you want 
to ride. We got to thinking how lone¬ 
some you would be to-day, so both Eva 
and I decided to start with Anna in the 
morning and visit with you until this 
afternoon. That is, if you have no 
objection, Mary,” he added, greeting 
Mrs. West, who now came up. 

“You are welcome, I’m sure,” she 
declared. “It was kind of you to 
think of Elsa and me. It would have 
43 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


been rather lonesome without them, 
wouldn’t it, Elsa?” 

“Terribly lonesome!” Elsa ex¬ 
claimed. “I have been wishing all 
morning that you would come early.” 

Mrs. West took her place beside Mr. 
Berger, and Elsa found a seat between 
Anna and Eva. Then they drove slow¬ 
ly along the road. When they reached 
the cottage, the girls were asked to 
carry several packages that Mrs. Ber¬ 
ger had sent. Mama herself carried in 
a large basket that Mr. Berger handed 
her with some whispered directions not 
intended for the ears of the girls. The 
girls then came out to superintend the 
tying of Browny, the horse. 

“Oh, how good you were, Uncle Ber¬ 
ger, to come so early and bring Eva 
along!” Elsa cried, grasping Mr. Ber¬ 
ger’s hand. 


44 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“Yes, of course,” he replied play¬ 
fully, “and now, I suppose, I will not 
get rid of you all day.” 

“Indeed, you won’t!” Elsa cried. 
“And now come along and see the 
pretty flowers I picked last night.” 

She dragged him along into the 
room, but stopped amazed at the door. 
There, in the middle of the floor, sat 
a little kitten, white as snow, and with 
the cunningest little eyes that were now 
busy examining with wonder the 
strange surroundings. 

“Whose is it? How did it get here?” 
she cried. 

Mama and Uncle Berger only 
smiled, but Eva explained: “You see, 
we had two fine little kittens at home, 
and when you couldn’t come to play 
with them', we decided to bring one for 
you. Do you want it?” 

45 


ELBA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Without a word of reply Elsa snug¬ 
gled down on the floor and began gent¬ 
ly to stroke its back. “How soft it is! 
Just like silk! Is it really true that I 
can keep it always and always?” she 
asked doubtfully. 

“Of course it is. The kitten is 
yours,” Uncle Berger assured her. 

Elsa’s happy face spoke louder than 
words of the joy she felt in the owner¬ 
ship of the kitten. As yet it seemed a 
little bit frightened; but Elsa knew 
what fun it would be to play with it. 

“What a delicate little pink nose it 
has, and such soft paws!” she mur¬ 
mured, seating herself on a stool with 
the kitten in her lap. 

“What are you going to call it?” Eva 
inquired. 

“She’s as white as a lily, and Lily 
I will call her. Isn’t it a pretty name?” 

46 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

“That is just what I was going to 
call her, if we had kept her,” Eva de¬ 
clared. 

For the rest of the day Elsa divided 
her attention between Uncle Berger 
and Lily. It didn’t take long before 
the kitten was playfully rolling about 
the floor like a ball. Uncle Berger 
showed Elsa how to tie a cork at the 
end of a string and draw it across the 
floor. What fun it was to watch Lily 
chase the cork and seize it in her little 
paws, roll over on her back and play 
with it! When Elsa tired of this sport, 
she would sit on Uncle Berger’s knee 
with Lily in her lap. At other times 
she would play with Anna and Eva, 
who told her all about the good times 
they had had at Oak Point. On the 
whole, Elsa thought that this was the 
happiest day she had ever had! 

47 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


III. 

Some weeks later Mrs. West was sit¬ 
ting in the swing outside of the house, 
busy with her sewing. Beside her sat 
Anna and on a stool at their feet sat 
Elsa hemming a handkerchief. Lily 
was rolling an empty spool along the 
sanded path, or darting off after flying 
leaves or butterflies fluttering amid the 
flowers. Now and again she lured all 
three to look up from their work and 
watch her funny antics. Elsa had been 
promised permission to play with Lily 
as soon as she had finished hemming 
the handkerchief, and on this account 
she was busily at work to complete her 
task. But Lily was finding it rather 
lonesome to play alone. So with a sud¬ 
den leap she was in Elsa’s lap, attack¬ 
ing the handkerchief tooth and nail, 
48 


ELS A 9 8 MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

just as Elsa was beginning to hem the 
fourth and last edge. 

“Fie, Lily! Not yet. I must finish 
this first,” she chided. 

As if understanding the rebuke, the 
kitten leaped upon the stand holding 
the spool of thread which all three 
were using. 

“Lily!” cried Elsa sternly. But be¬ 
fore she had time to say more, both 
spool and kitten were down in the path, 
where the latter showed her skill in 
winding, or rather unwinding the 
thread. All had to laugh at Lily’s 
funny antics, as she pawed away at the 
spool as if eager to make off with her 
booty. 

“Elsa, you are responsible for Lily’s 
training,” laughed Anna. “Haven’t 
you taught her that she mustn’t steal?” 

“She doesn’t understand about that 
49 

Elsa's Mission Contribution. - 4. 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


yet, but I’ll teach her before long,” 
Elsa declared, getting up to rescue the 
spool of thread. “Fie, Lily! You 
mustn’t steal!” she chided, as she began 
to wind the thread back upon the spool. 
The kitten sat eyeing her young mis¬ 
tress knowingly. “There now, Anna, 
you see she is listening to —” Elsa be¬ 
gan, but got no further before the kit¬ 
ten made a leap at the thread, pulling 
the spool from Elsa’s hand. 

“She sees better than she listens, I 
fear,” mocked Anna. 

Lily was finally subdued, and Elsa 
sat down to complete her sewing. 

“Good evening!” The greeting came 
from a man passing by the gate. It 
was their neighbor coming home from 
work. “Have you heard about the 
missionary who is going to talk in the 
schoolhouse to-morrow night?” 

50 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

“I heard that he was coming some 
time this week, but I didn’t know that 
he would be here to-morrow. Thank 
you for letting us know!” Mrs. West 
replied pleasantly. 

“May we go, too, mama?” asked 
Anna, when the neighbor had depart¬ 
ed. . 

“Yes, we will all three go,” Mrs. 
West promised. 

“I’m so glad!” cried Elsa. “I sup¬ 
pose he will tell us about the black 
children with woolly hair. My teacher 
has told us about how the people in 
Africa look. The missionaries are in 
Africa, aren’t they?” 

“Yes, the missionary who is coming 
here has been in Africa; but there are 
heathen in other lands also, and mis¬ 
sionaries go to them, too,” the mother 
informed Elsa. 


51 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Elsa had many questions to ask about 
Africa and its people. The mother 
answered as many of them as she could, 
and declared that Elsa would, no 
doubt, learn more about these things 
from the missionary on the following 
day. 


52 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


IV. 

The next evening Mrs. West and 
her daughters entered the schoolhouse, 
which they found almost full of people. 
They had just started to sing: “The 
morning light is breaking; The dark¬ 
ness disappears —” Anna and Elsa 
had often sung this song both in school 
and at home, but never had it seemed 
so beautiful to Elsa as now. Old and 
young joined in the singing so heartily 
that Elsa felt the whole building 
tremble. 

When the song was finished the mis¬ 
sionary appeared upon the platform. 
He first offered up a prayer to God, 
beseeching him to bless the exercises 
of the evening. He prayed especially 
for the many children present, that 
God would open their minds and 
53 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


hearts to a fuller knowledge and a 
deeper love for the poor black children 
of far-off Africa. 

Then he began to tell a simple but 
touching story of his missionary labors. 
Elsa learned many things that she had 
never known or heard of before. She 
learned that in Africa there were peo¬ 
ple so cruel that they would attack 
whole villages and carry off the chil¬ 
dren from mothers who loved them 
just as much as the mothers present at 
this meeting loved their own little girls 
and boys. These children were then 
sold as slaves and taken far, far away 
where they would never see their 
parents any more, but had to stay with 
cruel masters who whipped them and 
made them work from morning till 
night. Elsa also learned that the mis¬ 
sionaries had rescued many of these 
54 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

children, given them a home at the 
mission stations, taught them to know 
and love Jesus, and instructed them in 
reading and writing, and many other 
useful things, so that they might grow 
up to become good and happy people. 

The missionary further related that 
many children were injured and even 
killed by their own parents, because 
these had no knowledge of God nor of 
His love for all mankind. They wor¬ 
ship idols, and these gods they fear 
very much. They believe that their 
gods are always ready to harm them, 
and therefore they must make sacrifices 
to them to gain their favor. When 
they suffer from famine or other mis¬ 
fortunes, they often sacrifice their own 
children to allay the anger of their 
gods. 

He then told about the children at 

55 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


the mission stations, how good many of 
them had become, and how they had 
learned to love Jesus as their friend 
and Saviour. These children now sent 
greetings to all the children in the 
Christian lands, asking them to assist 
in sending more missionaries to Africa. 
For there were still millions of boys 
and girls, and parents, too, in Africa, 
who had never heard about God and 
had never learned to love Him. 

“Soon,” the missionary concluded, 
“I am going back to my dear black 
friends in Africa, and I want to take 
back to them many good and useful 
gifts from you, so that they will know 
that you love them and are interested 
in their welfare. How many of you 
will join me in this undertaking?” 

“I, I,” scores of voices resounded 
throughout the room. 

56 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“Thank you, my friends!” the mis¬ 
sionary said heartily. “I am not going 
to ask for your gifts now; but a week 
from to-night we will meet in this 
place again. Then I will gladly re¬ 
ceive the gifts you wish to send to re¬ 
joice the hearts of my black friends in 
Africa. You may bring whatever you 
wish: money, garments, cloth, toys for 
the children, and other useful things. 
They will all be put to good use, and 
convince my wards of your love and 
interest in them.” 

The meeting was concluded by sing¬ 
ing the stirring mission song: “Hark! 
the mighty cry over sea, over land, up 
to the heavens ascending—” 

Many of those present lingered for a 
moment to shake hands with the mis¬ 
sionary or to discuss the meeting with 
each other. Anna and Elsa found 


57 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


themselves surrounded by a flock of 
schoolmates. 

“What are you going to bring next 
Saturday?” Anna asked. 

“Let us bring all our gifts for the 
little black children!” proposed one of 
the girls. “Let every one of us give 
something; then I’m sure that all the 
children at the mission school will get 
a present. We are so many who can 
give. I’m going to give my doll. She 
wears a blue dress and yellow slippers. 
I hope some little girl will be pleased 
with it.” 

“I’m going to give my ball. It’s red, 
and blue, and yellow. They can have 
lots of fun with it. Perhaps they 
haven’t seen anything like it before,” 
said another. 

“I’m going to give my pretty pencil 
box,” declared a third. 


58 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“I am sewing a new apron for my¬ 
self,” said Anna; “but I am going to 
ask mama if I can’t give that.” 

“Then I am going to sew an apron 
for them, too,” declared another. 

Thus they vied with each other to 
think of useful and interesting things 
to send to their little black friends in 
Africa. Elsa alone remained silent. 
She dearly wanted to send something 
to the black children, but she didn’t 
have much to send. Her most precious 
possession was Lily, her kitten. What 
if she should send Lily! She pictured 
to herself what fun the little black girls 
would have playing with her little 
white kitten. She would ask the mis¬ 
sionary not to let any of the rough boys 
torment the kitten. Only the nice little 
girls should play with it. But oh, how 
empty and lonesome her own home 
59 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


would seem without Lily! But then, 
the black children might be lonesome, 
too, and need a kitten to play with. 
They would understand how much 
Elsa loved them, when she sent them 
the most precious thing she had. 

“Mama, may I give away the apron 
that I am making?” asked Anna on the 
way home. 

“Yes, dear,” the mother replied 
heartily. She knew that Anna was 
making a great sacrifice; for only the 
other day she had heard Anna com¬ 
plain that her aprons were old and 
faded in comparison with those of the 
other girls in school. It would be some 
time before Anna would be able to get 
another new apron. 

Elsa made no mention of her gift 
until she said good night to her mother. 
Then she whispered softly: “Mama, 
60 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


shall I give them Lily?” As she spoke, 
great tears came into her eyes. 

“Ask God about it,” replied the 
mother deeply moved. She realized 
that Elsa was making a greater sacri¬ 
fice than Anna. 

When Elsa fell asleep with Lily in 
her arms, she dreamed that the little 
black children were standing in a row 
to receive the gifts sent them. Their 
eyes were sparkling with happiness as 
each received his gift. Finally the 
missionary handed Lily to a little girl, 
telling her that she and the other girls 
might play with it. A shout of joy 
arose, for not one of them had seen 
such a splendid white kitten before! 


61 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


V. 

The following Saturday evening the 
schoolroom was filled to the last seat, 
and nearly all who came brought pack¬ 
ages or baskets containing gifts of all 
kinds. When the gifts were presented, 
there were many striking proofs of the 
thoughtful care of the donors in mak¬ 
ing their selections. Neither old nor 
young among their black friends had 
been forgotten. Presently all of Elsa’s 
comrades had gone forward to hand 
over their gifts, but Elsa lingered in 
her seat hugging Lily to her breast. 
When she finally advanced to the plat¬ 
form with the kitten in her arms, there 
was a general stir of astonishment. 

“Give my little kitten to the children 
in Africa; but don’t let any naughty 
6 2 



ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

boy touch her. Her name is Lily.” 
Elsa’s voice trembled as she spoke. 

“Thank you, my little friend!” said 
the missionary kindly. Elsa’s tear- 
dimmed eyes were downcast, or she 
would have noticed how embarrassed 
the missionary became at this strange 
gift. As he stood there holding the 
kitten in his hands, it was apparent 
that he did not know what to make of 
the situation. But just as Elsa started 
back to her seat, a gentleman ap¬ 
proached the platform. It was the 
kind old doctor that had visited Elsa 
when she was sick. 

“Are you really going to give away 
your little kitten?” he asked, gently 
patting Elsa on the head. 

“Yes, and I hope the black children 
will care for her as much as I do,” Elsa 
stammered. 


63 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


“Oh, I’m sure they will!” the doctor 
declared. “But listen, my dear! It’s 
so far to Africa that I am afraid your 
kitten would die on the way; and then 
neither you nor your black little 
friends would have any pleasure in 
her. How would it be if I bought Lily 
for ten dollars? That would buy many 
beautiful things for your little African 
friends. How would you like that 
plan?” 

“Oh, Doctor, that would be grand!” 
cried Elsa. “If you buy Lily, perhaps 
I can get to see her sometimes — per¬ 
haps, even, you will let me come to 
your house and play with her!” 
Abashed at her own boldness, Elsa sud¬ 
denly became silent, her eyes shifting 
from the kitten to the doctor and back 
again to her precious Lily. 

The doctor placed ten dollars on the 
64 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


desk, and received the kitten in ex¬ 
change. “Now that I have left money 
in exchange for the kitten,” he said, 
“I suppose you have no objections if I 
give away Lily to somebody?” 

“No-o-o,” replied Elsa with sinking 
heart. All her hopes of ever seeing or 
playing with Lily were now dashed to 
the ground. 

“Come with me, then, and you will 
see to whom I am going to give Lily,” 
said the doctor. He led the way to 
where Mrs. West was sitting with an 
empty basket in her lap. The doctor 
carefully placed the kitten in the 
basket, and handing it to Elsa, he said: 
“I am going to make you a present of 
Lily, for I don’t think that any one else 
will take so good care of her.” 

“Oh, how good you are!” Elsa ex¬ 
claimed, her face again radiant with 
65 

Elsa’s Mission Contribution. 5 . 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

happiness. “But is it real certain that 
the little black children in Africa will 
get something for the money which 
they will like just as much as Lily?” 

“We will ask the missionary,” the 
doctor replied. Turning to the mis¬ 
sionary, the doctor said: “The little 
girl, who wanted to give her kitten to 
the African children, wonders if the 
ten dollars will buy something that 
they will like just as much as the kit¬ 
ten.” 

“I can assure her of that,” the mis¬ 
sionary replied. “The ten dollars will 
buy many presents that they will like, 
and when I distribute these, I will tell 
the black children that these presents 
represent the value of the kitten you 
loved so much, but which you were 
willing to give them. That will please 
them very much.” 


66 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

“Friends,” the missionary continued, 
addressing the audience, “I wonder 
how many of us have sacrificed for the 
sacred cause of missions something just 
as precious to us as the kitten is to her 
little mistress? God grant that loving 
interest for the advancement of His 
kingdom in heathen lands may move 
us all to contribute as liberally as this 
little girl!” 

The missionary was about to con¬ 
clude the meeting, thinking that all 
the gifts had been presented. But, as 
if encouraged by Elsa’s example, many 
more now came forward with money 
and other gifts. Even many of those 
who had already made contributions 
came forward and eagerly added to 
these, so that the total amount of the 
mission gifts far exceeded the expec¬ 
tations of the missionary. 

67 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Fervent prayers were then offered 
up that God might open the eyes and 
enlighten the understanding of the 
people in heathen lands, and turn their 
hearts in love and faith to the Saviour 
of all mankind. The blessing of God 
was invoked upon the gifts and the 
givers on this occasion to the end that 
greater zeal for missions, and greater 
love for their fellow men in heathen 
lands might fill their hearts. 

Prayerful longing and firm assur¬ 
ance of ultimate victory filled the 
hearts of all as they sang the closing 
hymn: 

“0 glorious clay, we cherish thy coming, 

When all the wide world God’s kingdom 
shall be; 

When peoples unnumbered shall bow to the. 
Saviour, 

Their Lord and their God, whose blood set 
them free.” 


68 



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GANGAMA 

A True Story from Life 

BY 


BETTY NILSSON, M.D. 












































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Little Gangama was eight years old. 
She had on a new calico skirt with 
bright flowers and green leaves. It was 
very long and full so that she had to 
hold great folds of it up with her hand 
as she skipped about and played with 
some little schoolmates. She also had 
on a purple velvet jacket and six chains 
of gold coins, coral beads and other 
ornaments around her neck and a new 
gold belt with a beautiful large buckle 
set with precious stones of all colors 
which sparkled in the bright sunshine. 
On her bare light-brown arms were 
numerous pink and blue glass bangles 
and at least three new gold bracelets, 
73 




ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


and on her ankles were heavy silver 
anklets that clinked against each other 
like little bells when she ran. Her 
black eyes were very bright, and black 
powder had been rubbed around them 
to emphasize their brightness. Her 
face was bright yellow, for she had just 
had her oilbath, and a large quantity 
of saffron had been rubbed in to make 
her look beautiful. She and her little 
friends ran into the house again to see 
the preparations which were going on 
for the wedding — for little Gangama 
was to be a bride that very night. A 
huge pendal had been erected of bam¬ 
boo sticks and cocoanut leaves in front 
of the house. All the floors had been 
cleaned and decorated with beautiful 
figures drawn with powdered chalk. 
Her father was already entertaining 
some guests, and he looked very proud 
74 


GAN GAMA 


as his beautiful little daughter danced 
through like a ray of sunshine. The 
bridegroom, a lad of twelve, of a well- 
to-do and respectable family, was ex¬ 
pected to arrive with his parents and 
near relatives from a neighboring vil¬ 
lage at any time. He was to take up 
his quarters in a house opposite Ganga- 
ma’s home. This was also decorated 
with a pendal, wreaths of flowers and 
garlands of young mango shoots. The 
gaudy palanquin was being prepared 
ready to take the young couple through 
the principal streets with bright lights, 
tom-toms and bands. Little Gangama 
was called to have her bright, pink silk 
sari put on over the clothes, and still 
more jewels added, for now more guests 
were arriving, and she could not romp 
around any more. Gold ornaments 
and jasmine flowers were put into her 
75 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


beautiful black hair, and every escap¬ 
ing curl was fastened back into the 
braid securely and still more oil ap¬ 
plied to the unruly ringlets. 

It was eleven o’clock at night. Music 
was loud and festive. The palanquin 
had returned. The men were all seated 
in the pendal with the priests. The 
women in their beautiful silken saris 
were inside. The ceremony was to 
take place at the auspicious hour of 
11 :41 P. M- The sleepy bride was 
roused and given her final instructions. 
The groom was already seated on the 
seat of honor among the men. The 
fire was there. The water was there. 
There was a plate of rice and variously 
colored powders. There were also 
some fruits. The bashful little Gan- 
gama was soon wide awake and was 
brought out and placed at the side of 
76 


GANG AM A 


the bridegroom. She did not dare to 
look at him. She heard the priest say 
some mantrams which she could not 
understand. The women crowded as 
near as they could on the veranda. Her 
mother and father were both very near 
her and told her just what to do. Her 
little feet were put into the water. The 
bridegroom’s feet were also put into 
the water. A little hand took hold of 
hers, but she did not see whose it was, 
and tried to pull hers away. The cor¬ 
ner of her sari was tied to the bride¬ 
groom’s upper garment. Then a “tali” 
— a large, flat, gold ornament was tied 
about her neck, and after about nine 
mantrams had been said, and about 
nine ceremonies performed with the 
fire, the powders and the fruit, Ganga- 
ma and Ramana were man and wife. 

After Gangama and Ramana’s wed- 
77 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

ding night followed five days of feast¬ 
ing, five days of freedom from school, 
five nights during which Gangama was 
carried from the palanquin to her bed 
sound asleep. Then the guests de¬ 
parted. 

Gangama took out her slate and book 
intending to go to the mission school 
as had been her previous custom, but 
her mother said, “No, you must not go 
to school any more. Your mother-in- 
law does not want you to be educated. 
You are to visit her next week and then 
you may come home again and learn to 
cook and keep house. You may still 
play with the school girls if you like, 
but go and bid your teacher farewell 
and tell her that after this you must do 
only as your mother-in-law wishes.” 

Two years passed by. The cholera 
made terrible havoc in the mother-in- 


78 


GAN GAM A 


law’s village. Little Ramana and his 
father both died. The mother-in-law 
becoming a widow, gave up her jewels, 
her beautiful clothes and her authority 
to the eldest daughter-in-law. Ganga- 
ma was not wanted. A quarrel arose 
about her jewels which she had re¬ 
ceived on her wedding day, and she 
was rejected from the mother-in-law’s 
house. 

Gangama was also a widow now. 
She still played with her little friends 
and was loved and protected in her 
father’s home, but all were very sad. 
Her former teacher came to see them. 
She spoke to them of the love of Christ. 
A Bible woman was welcomed to give 
them further instruction and teaching. 
Her visits were looked forward to with 
great joy. But the neighbors began to 
talk, and one day Gangama’s father 
79 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

told the women of his house that he 
and his brother had decided that they 
must not allow the Christians to come 
to their house again. Some weeks later 
the women were also ordered to give 
the books about the Christian religion 
into his keeping, and the orders had to 
be obeyed. The family was again very 
sad and there was nothing to break the 
monotony. Then occurred the dread¬ 
ful thing. Sickness entered the home 
and Gangama’s father became very ill. 
The native doctor came daily and 
sometimes more often. It was sug¬ 
gested that the mission doctor be called 
to come to see the sufferer, but the 
Brahman priest objected. He and the 
native doctor had agreed to call in an¬ 
other doctor from a distant village. 
He would surely be able to cure the 
man. If not, they would then call the 


80 





> X*x 

Elsa’s Mission Contribution. 6. 



OUB VILLAGE SCHOOL IN DOWLAISHWABAM, INDIA 






























GANGAMA 


Christian doctor. But that very night 
Gangama’s father died. The poor 
widow and all the other women of the 
family beat their heads against the floor 
and wailed in the most hopeless man¬ 
ner. The departed was called by the 
most endearing names. All his virtues 
were reviewed in a loud, singsong wail, 
and now and then a piercing shriek 
was heard, especially when a new face 
appeared among the mourners. Little 
Gangama cried and sobbed until she 
was overcome with grief and fatigue. 
Then she fell asleep, but soon awoke 
again to find that it was all too true 
that her father had passed away. Her 
beloved father was really dead. 

As the morning dawned, the men 
were ready to bathe and prepare the 
body to be taken to the burning 
grounds. As the departed had no son, 
83 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


the younger brother was the nearest 
relative, and it became his duty to 
carry the pot of fire and to perform 
the gruesome task of seeing that no 
part of the body was left, but all de¬ 
voured by the flames. The departed 
was a well-known and respected mem¬ 
ber of society, so the bier was beauti¬ 
fully decorated with leaves of the ba¬ 
nana plant, garlands of flowers and 
leaves, and an abundance of yellow and 
red powders. Two drummers and a 
fifer preceded the bier in the funeral 
procession and a small band of musical 
instruments followed, then four men 
and the pall-bearers. The women re¬ 
mained at home, weeping and beating 
their chests and tearing their hair. No 
one washed her face, nor combed her 
hair, nor took any food that day. 
Then followed the ceremonial baths. 


84 


GANGAMA 


Food was prepared and eaten late at 
night. The following day the widow 
had her head shaved, her jewels re¬ 
moved, and her widow’s garb of white 
took the place of her bright colored 
silks which she had been in the habit 
of wearing. She sat in a corner in a 
dark, dreary room and wept, touching 
no food, even if it was brought to her, 
answering no questions, weighed down 
by hopeless grief. She only went to 
the well for her frequent bathing. The 
household keys, the token of authority, 
had been given over to her sister-in- 
law. Only little Gangama often ran 
in to mingle her tears with her moth¬ 
er’s, and then she ran away again. This 
continued for a whole year. Only 
once was the kind missionary lady, 
Gangama’s former teacher, allowed to 
visit her. She came a second time, but 
85 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


the door was not opened for her, so she 
went sadly away. Later she saw little 
Gangama on the street. Then Ganga- 
ma explained, “My uncle says I must 
not speak to you and you must not 
come to my house, but I love you and 
I love your Jesus, too.” 

The poor mother could not long 
stand the wet clothing, the closed room 
without air and sunshine. She became 
ill with fever and died in her lonely 
room. She was cremated without mu¬ 
sic or any signs of mourning. Little 
Gangama was scolded when she cried. 
She was now left alone, an orphan and 
a widow in her uncle’s house. As soon 
as she was twelve years old, her head 
was shaved, her remaining jewels 
taken away, and she was given two 
raiments, one of white cloth, the other 
of red. One meal of rice and curry 
86 


GANGAMA 


she ate by herself daily after having 
taken her bath at the well and having 
gone home in her wet red raiment to 
prepare food for the household. Her 
sister-in-law was far from being kind 
to her, and anything in the cooking 
which was not exactly to the taste of 
the family was blamed upon poor Gan- 
gama. Sometimes she was beaten; 
often she was scolded; often she shiv¬ 
ered in her wet garments as she was 
bringing home her shining brass pot 
full of water in the cool morning air. 

But Gangama was young. She was 
only in her thirteenth year, and al¬ 
though her drudgery made her sad, she 
remained sweet-tempered and grew 
more beautiful as the days went by. 

Her cup was not yet full. Her uncle 
also died. Now she could no longer 
stand the ill-treatment accorded to her 


87 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


by her aunt, and the taunts of her 
cousins. She had to earn her living in 
some way. Then sickness came, and 
disgrace. Her aunt refused to take her 
into her home any more. Where 
should she go? Of course she could 
jump into the well, but she could not 
muster the courage. Finally, a thought 
came to her. She would go to her for¬ 
mer teacher. She sought her, found 
her, and cried out her sorrows on her 
sympathetic bosom. Her teacher told 
of Him who said, “Let him who is 
without sin cast the first stone.” She 
saw how sick Gangama was, and so 
brought her the following day to the 
hospital at Rajahmundry. There we 
gradually heard her sad story, and re¬ 
joiced at her willingness to learn the 
gospel message. 

But one day Gangama cried, and 
88 





ORPHANS IN OUR HOSPITAL IN INDIA. 





















* 














GANGAMA 


would not be comforted. At last she 
said, “I am getting well and sopn you 
will send me away from the hospital, 
and I have nowhere to go. Please keep 
me here and let me work. I’ll do any¬ 
thing. I’ll do even the sweeper’s work, 
if you ask me.” She ate willingly 
whatever we gave her, even though 
she was a Brahman. Yet one day she 
asked, “Must I eat meat if I become 
4 a Christian? I have never tasted meat, 
and it is very repulsive to me, but if it 
is the only way to be a Christian I’ll 
try to eat it.” She was told that the 
kingdom of God is not meat and drink. 
She was allowed to prepare her own 
food, because we saw that it was not 
through caste feeling this difficulty had 
arisen, but only a disgust at eating 
something she had always been taught 
to look upon as repulsive. She learned 
91 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


to work in the hospital wards, to read, 
and to sing very sweetly. She seemed 
to understand the Christian religion, 
and to believe in the Saviour. On the 
day of baptism she was very happy. 
Some weeks later she was again laid 
upon the sickbed. A cloud of sorrow 
seemed to be constantly hanging over 
her in spite of the fact that we tried to 
comfort her, saying that if the Lord 
Jesus should call her, she should not 
fear, for it would be still better for her 
to be with Him. But she cried all the 
more, saying, “I have not yet taken the 
Holy Supper of our Lord, and has He 
not said that unless we eat His body 
and drink His blood, we have no part 
in Him? How can I then hope to go 
to Him in heaven?” Our Indian pas¬ 
tor was called to administer to her the 
Holy Sacrament, and then she was hap- 
92 


GANGAMA 


py, yes, radiant with joy. She recov¬ 
ered from her illness, after which she 
devoted herself with still more energy 
to the work in the hospital; ministered 
to both high and low with love and 
patience; spoke of the Saviour when¬ 
ever an opportunity came; read her 
Bible, and rejoiced in its truths. 

When Gangama was about eighteen 
years old she was given in marriage to 
one of the Christian workers, and now 
she seems to be happy in her home life. 
They have adopted a baby girl whom 
they love and care for as their own 
child. Gangama is now going out to 
a number of houses as a Bible woman, 
loved and respected because of Jesus, 
her childlike faith in and her hopeful 
message about Him. 


93 



“THE JESUS CHRIST MAN” 

A Chapter from the Mission History 


OF 

BURMA 






On a certain stiflingly hot afternoon 
under the scorching sun of Burma a 
missionary was sitting in his flimsy 
bamboo hut near a busy highway much 
frequented by traffic. Many hours 
had passed since he had seated himself 
in a bamboo chair in the center of the 
hut; an oriental rug had been spread 
invitingly on the floor to lure the pas¬ 
sers-by to seek rest and shelter from 
the burning sun and thus afford an 
opportunity to the missionary of read¬ 
ing to them the wonderful story of the 
loving Saviour, who had come down 
from heaven to save and bless even the 
darkened souls of these distant heathen 
people. In the middle of the day, 
when the heat of the sun had been most 
oppressive, quite a few had taken ad¬ 
vantage of the shelter thus provided, 


97 

Elsa’s Mission Contribution. 7. 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


but all seemed indifferent to the mis¬ 
sionary’s message, and not one of them 
manifested any interest in the living 
truth proclaimed to them. Persons of 
high and low degree, and of all ages, 
passed the hut where the missionary 
sat reading aloud the story of Jesus, 
but no one stopped to listen, all were 
too busy with their own affairs. 

Doctor Judson, for this was the mis¬ 
sionary’s name, had but recently ac¬ 
quired the language, and this was his 
first attempt to preach the gospel to 
the natives without the aid of an inter¬ 
preter. But it was a trying ordeal. 
His head throbbed from the stifling 
heat, and he longed for the rest and 
comfort of his own home, but he per¬ 
sisted in his determination to persevere 
in his efforts, firmly believing that in 
His own good time God would bless 
and prosper his labors. 

Directing his eyes to heaven, he ex¬ 
claimed: “God is my all-powerful 
98 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 


King and Master! To His service I 
have dedicated myself body and soul 
for time and eternity.” 

In a loud voice he again began to 
"read a religious tract in the Burmese 
language, which he had already read 
from beginning to end several times 
during the course of the day. 

Attracted by his foreign accent, sev¬ 
eral individuals had stopped to listen 
for a moment, but soon some word 
reached their ears which wounded 
their feelings,or aroused their hostility, 
and with muttered threats they would 
hurry on their way. Among these 
was a coarsely clad woman carrying a 
huge water jar on her head. Setting 
down her jar, she entered the mission¬ 
ary’s hut and sat down on the rug to 
rest and to listen to his words. But 
as soon as the Saviour’s name fell from 
the lips of Dr. Judson, her eyes flashed 
angrily, and with sneering words she 
stalked haughtily out of the hut, deftly 


99 



ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


swung the brimming water jar to her 
head, and departed. 

The missionary’s heart was filled 
with sadness, and in a fit of discourage¬ 
ment he was about to close his book 
when the shadow of a passer-by fell 
across the way and induced him to con¬ 
tinue his reading. Looking up, Dr. 
Judson observed a tall, dignified nat¬ 
ive leading by the hand a sweet little 
boy, who danced merrily along by his 
side. The features of the tall stranger 
were stamped with deep seriousness, 
and his rich dress and the shape of his 
turban proclaimed him to belong to 
one of the higher castes of society. 

When the missionary’s voice reached 
the ears of the boy, he pressed his 
father’s hand and cried: “Father, 
there is the Jesus-Christ-man; see how 
white his face is!” 

Looking up from his reading, the 
missionary noted the look of kindly 
interest in the boy’s face, and in the 


ioo 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 


heart of Dr. Judson the hope was kin¬ 
dled that this day’s reading was not to 
pass without bearing some little fruit. 
He had often met the boy’s father in 
various parts of the city, but he had 
always noticed that the man would 
turn his face away when passing. 

After their departure the missionary 
continued his reading, cheered by the 
memory of the bright-eyed lad. Pres¬ 
ently a Buddhist priest, wrapped in a 
flowing yellow robe, sat down on the 
threshold of the hut, but after listening 
for a few moments he silently departed. 

At length the trying day was at an 
end, and Dr. Judson turned his weary 
steps homeward. But before he re¬ 
tired for the night, he sent up a warm¬ 
hearted petition to God for the poor, 
benighted souls who had this day lis¬ 
tened to his words, and his eyes grew 
dim with unshed tears when he prayed 
for the tall stranger and the sweet little 
boy who had accompanied him. 


IOI 


ELEA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


Day after day Dr. Judson continued 
to read aloud in his hut, and at a cer¬ 
tain hour of every day the tall noble 
looking native would pass by seeming¬ 
ly without paying any attention to the 
reading, while the little boy, on the 
other hand, would smilingly nod his 
head, as if he wished the missionary 
to take notice of him. One day, when 
they were passing, Dr. Judson beck¬ 
oned to the lad, who with startling 
suddenness left his father’s side and 
ran into the missionary’s hut. 

“Moung, Moung!” the father ex¬ 
claimed in a tone of surprise and dis¬ 
approval. But before the father had 
time go in pursuit, his son was again at 
his side jubilantly displaying a bright¬ 
ly colored silk scarf wound turban- 
fashion about his head. 

“Moung, my boy,” protested the 
father, when they had passed beyond 
the hearing of the missionary; “You 
must never enter that hut again. It is 


102 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 


no place for a boy of your caste, and 
besides, the white strangers are not to 
be trusted.” 

Moung’s only answer was a look of 
deeper seriousness than was to be ex¬ 
pected from a boy whose face was gen¬ 
erally bright with the care-free joy of 
childhood. 

After walking silently for some time 
beside his father, he inquired: “May 
I ask you a question, father?” 

“What is it you want to know, my 
boy?” his father inquired. 

“Is it true, father, that my mother 
prayed to Jesus Christ before she 
died?” 

“Hush, Moung; hush, I say! You 
mustn’t think or speak of such matters 
again.” 

“But, father, won’t you please tell 
me if mother loved Jesus Christ and 
prayed to Him?” Moung pleaded 
earnestly. 

“Come, Moung; never mention this 


103 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

subject to me again!” the father sternly 
ordered, as he grasped his son’s hand 
and proceeded on his way in gloomy 
silence. 

After their departure, Dr. Judson’s 
native servant, Ko-schway-bay, entered 
the missionary hut. By chance he had 
overheard the conversation between 
father and son, and he now related it 
to his master. He also informed the 
missionary that the noble stranger was 
a man of high standing in the com¬ 
munity and noted for his hatred of the 
Christians. The servant also reminded 
his master of an attractive young wom¬ 
an, who about a year before had ob¬ 
tained medicine from him for an only 
child dangerously sick with a fever. 

Her winning personality, her deep 
anxiety for the welfare of her child, 
and her warm expressions of gratitude 
for the medicine had made a lasting 
impression upon Dr. Judson. He now 
recalled with growing interest that he 


104 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 


had also given her a copy of St. Mat¬ 
thew’s Gospel and had in her presence 
prayed that God would abundantly 
bless His Word to the spiritual heal¬ 
ing of the fond mother and her loved 
ones. He now learned for the first 
time that this woman was the wife of 
the noble looking stranger who passed 
his hut daily, and that she, well know¬ 
ing her husband’s hatred of the Chris¬ 
tian missionary, had not ventured to 
send a servant for the medicine, but 
had come for it herself. She had often 
been seen reading the precious book as 
she watched at the bedside of her sick 
child, often, too, she had kneeled in 
prayer, using, as nearly as she could 
remember, the missionary’s own words 
in beseeching God for the spiritual 
healing of her soul. One day, how¬ 
ever, her husband came upon her while 
reading the book, and with words of 
great displeasure he snatched it from 
her hands, declaring that he would 


105 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


burn it up. Her child recovered from 
his sickness, but the young mother was 
stricken with the contagious fever and 
died. Up to the very last, however, 
she spoke of Jesus Christ and admon¬ 
ished all about her to love and worship 
Him alone. 

“But,” the servant added with low¬ 
ered voice, as he cast anxious glances 
on all sides, “I ought not to speak of 
these things, for the rajah has threat¬ 
ened to put to death all who venture 
to utter the name of Jesus with rever¬ 
ence.” 

The following day the missionary 
eagerly waited for the coming of fa¬ 
ther and son, but though the father did 
put in an appearance, he was unaccom¬ 
panied, and he passed by on the other 
side of the street. Day after day passed, 
and Dr. Judson began to fear that he 
had seen the last of the dear little boy 
of whom he was continually thinking 
with loving interest. Then, one day, 
106 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 

he saw them again approaching the 
• hut, and this time the boy broke away 
from his father, and with loud expres¬ 
sions of joy he rushed into the hut bear¬ 
ing a basket of grapes and other ripe 
fruit which he presented to the mis¬ 
sionary with mingled feelings of shy¬ 
ness and satisfaction. Thereupon he 
took his place beside his father who 
had also entered the hut and had seated 
himself on the rug at the missionary’s 
feet. 

“My foolish little boy,” the father 
began, bowing respectfully to Dr, Jud- 
son, “greatly desires that you, who are 
a priest from foreign lands, shall tell 
him something about Jesus Christ. He 
has been told that Jesus Christ was a 
great prince who forsook his own king¬ 
dom in order to suffer death for His 
enemies. Our own ignorant priests 
have not been able to invent a story 
so beautiful. My little son Moung is 
so taken in with the story that nothing 


107 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


would do but that I must bring him 
to you,” the father concluded with so 
great warmth that Dr. Judson more 
than suspected that the father’s lively 
interest also had been aroused. 

“Before I begin to tell you the 
story,” Dr. Judson declared earnestly, 
“I want to assure you solemnly that I 
am so fully convinced of the truth of 
my story as I am of the fact that you 
are now sitting on this rug before me. 
I also wish to state that it is my earnest 
desire, nay, the highest aim of my life, 
to persuade you and your son and as 
many others as possible of its wonder¬ 
ful truth.” 

The rajah vainly tried to appear in¬ 
different as with a condescending smile 
he said: “If you will lend me a copy 
of the story of Jesus Christ, I will take 
it with me and read it to my son at 
home.” 

Thereupon the missionary picked up 
a small book from the table beside him, 
108 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 


and as he handed it to the rajah, he 
said: “I am now placing in your 
hands the key to eternal life and hap¬ 
piness. God grant that you and I may 
meet one day in that higher world 
where all things are good and pure, 
and where suffering, sin, and death 
never enter!” 

All this while, Moung had been 
sitting quietly on the rug, eagerly 
listening to the conversation. But he 
now leaped to his feet and cried: 
“Father, father, do you hear what he 
is saying? Let us, too, l,ove and honor 
Jesus Christ! My mother loved Him 
dearly, and she is awaiting us now in 
the glorious, golden home on high.” 

The rajah made a sudden movement , 
as if to rise and depart, but the mis¬ 
sionary stayed him as he knelt beside 
him on the rug, saying: “Let us pray.” 

As the prayer proceeded, the rajah’s 
head bent lower and lower, and he 
covered his face with his hands. When 


109 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

the fervent prayer was ended, the rajah 
arose, bowed to the missionary, and 
silently departed with his son. For 
some time afterwards he continued to 
pass the missionary’s hut daily, but he 
made no further effort to enter into 
conversation with Dr. Judson. Some¬ 
times he was accompanied by Moung, 
who usually lingered a moment to ex¬ 
change a word of greeting, or to ask for 
the loan of another book. 

Then without warning, cholera, the 
terrible scourge of oriental lands, broke 
out in the city, and the missionary hut 
was closed, partly because of lack of 
visitors, but mostly because Dr. Jud- 
son’s entire time and strength were 
consumed in his constant care of the 
sick and the dying. One night his 
faithful servant aroused him from 
sleep with the announcement that he 
was wanted at the home of the rajah 
where the dreaded cholera had ap¬ 
peared, and where some one wished to 


no 


THE JESUS CUEIST MAN 


speak with the Christian teacher. 
Without delay Dr. Judson hastened 
away to the afflicted home, where he 
found a large number of relatives and 
dependents crowding about the door, 
while from within could be heard the 
wild wail of mourners, whose lamen¬ 
tations testified that death had already 
claimed its victim. Silently and un¬ 
noticed, Dr. Judson entered the house, 
and guided by the despairing cries, he 
soon found himself beside the lifeless 
body of the dear little boy whom he 
had learned to love so well. 

A voice softly whispered in his ear: 
“Our dear Moung is now in the golden 
land where he will eternally bloom 
among the lilies of paradise.” 

With a startled movement the mis¬ 
sionary turned to face an elderly wom¬ 
an who had evidently been the little 
boy’s nurse. 

“He worshiped the true God,” she 
continued in a whisper, broken by her 


iii 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

sobs of grief. “With all his heart he 
worshiped the true God and put his 
trust in his Redeemer, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He called upon Him, and his 
prayers were heard. The poor dear 
child was so tired and suffered so great¬ 
ly, but the good Lord loved him and 
took him as a lamb into His arms to 
be with Him forever.” 

“When did he die?” Dr. Judson 
asked. 

“About an hour ago,” the woman 
sobbed. “He was conscious to the very 
last, and with his dying breath he bore 
witness of his Lord and Saviour, whose 
face he seemed to see even before death 
called him away to be eternally with 
Jesus. But alas, his poor father, my 
noble master, is also at the point of 
death. Come to him before he dies.” 

“Was it he who sent for me?” Dr. 
Judson inquired. 

“No, he had already lost the power 
of speech. It was I who sent for you, 


112 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 


because I felt sure that God was near 
at hand.” 

Thereupon she led him into another 
room, where the rajah lay evidently in 
the last stages of the fearful disease. 
His stiffening lips were unable to utter 
a sound, but their slight twitchings 
were eloquent of words that would 
never be spoken in this life. He tried 
to lift his finger, as if desiring to point 
out some object, but his effort proved 
futile. 

With folded hands and uplifted eyes 
the missionary prayed in a loud voice: 
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 

A shimmer of peace and joy over¬ 
spread the face of the dying man; with 
a last effort his hand was raised toward 
heaven only to fall back again upon 
his breast as his soul departed from its 
earthly tabernacle to appear before 
God. A piercing wail was heard from 
the lips of the mourners, under cover 
of which the woman whispered to Dr. 
Judson: II3 

Elsa's Mission Contribution. 8 . 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

• 

“You can do nothing more here, but 
might expose yourself unnecessarily; 
let us return to the other room.” 

When they again stood before the 
dead child, the woman reverently lifted 
the covering from the little body and 
whispered: “See!” 

A copy of St. Matthew’s Gospel lay . 
upon Moung’s lifeless breast. 

“Who has placed it there?” Dr. Jud- 
son inquired. 

“He did it with his own dear little 
hand,” the woman sobbed, breaking 
out into the weird lamentations com¬ 
mon to her race. “Oh, I was his moth¬ 
er’s nurse as well as his own, and now 
both have left me! He received that 
book from you, Sahib. We thought 
that my master had thrown it into the 
fire, but he had only hidden it, and I 
believe that he has been reading it.” 

“I am sure,” the woman continued, 
“that it was to the Lord Jesus Christ 
that my master wished to pray in his 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 

last moments. O, do you think that 
Jesus Christ was willing to receive 
him?” 

“Have you read about the thief on 
the cross?” Dr. Judson inquired. 

“Yes, indeed,” the woman replied; 
“I was just reading it to-day to Moung. 
He was sitting holding his mother’s 
book in his hands when the awful 
plague laid hold on him, and he con¬ 
tinued to clasp the book to his breast 
while he was fighting with death and 
even after his soul had departed from 
his poor little body. O, dear Sahib, 
do you think that they are both saved 
and happy in heaven? It is almost 
more .than I dare hope that my beloved 
master has been saved at last!” 

“The Lord Jesus Christ is just as 
full of compassion now as when he 
wandered about here on earth,” Dr. 
Judson declared. “You may be sure 
that He is just as willing now to receive 
those who desire to come to Him.” 


n5 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

Upon being asked how she had found 
the way of life and salvation, the old 
woman replied: “My mistress, the 
Mem Sahib, taught me that way, and 
she made me promise that I should do 
a like service for her little son, and 
that I should come to you for further 
instruction. But after her death I felt 
so lonely, and besides, I feared the 
anger of my master. On several occa¬ 
sions I started out to come to you, and 
once I came so far as the banana tree 
near your hut, but fear laid hold on me 
and I could go no further. Finally I 
became acquainted with your servant, 
and he promised to keep my secret. 
From him I received books and learned 
to pray. By degrees God gave me more 
and more courage, and now I feel that 
I would not be afraid to tell the world 
of my faith in Jesus Christ, even 
though it should cost me my life. Be¬ 
sides, I am longing so much for the 
glory of heaven, and I would gladly 
116 


THE JESUS CHRIST MAN 


depart from this life now, if it should 
please God to take me to Himself.” 

Several weeks passed before the mis¬ 
sionary was again able to resume his 
work in the bamboo hut beside the 
highway. How insignificant and fruit¬ 
less this work had seemed at first, but 
how important and full of glorious 
possibilities it seemed now! All of 
those who had given him even a pas¬ 
sing notice had been summoned by the 
plague to appear before the judgment 
seat of God. The proud rajah, the 
lowly water carrier, the haughty Bud¬ 
dhist priest, the lovable little Moung 
— all had been suddenly snatched from 
the land of the living. 

When Dr. Judson, therefore, again 
took up his work in the missionary hut, 
he was firmly resolved to consecrate 
himself even more fully than before to 
the great task of snatching from the 
brink of destruction as many as possi¬ 
ble of those poor benighted souls who 
117 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


daily passed his hut. Praising God for 
the first glorious fruits of his labors, 
he addressed himself to this work in 
the Master’s vineyard with renewed 
strentgh and courage, and with in¬ 
creased trust in the help and guidance 
of God. 

Lord, may Thy precious Word 
From North to South be heard, 

And ever bear rich fruits for life eternal. 

May heathen nations sing 
Loud praises to their King, 

Who reigns on earth and in the realms supernal. 


118 


SAMBO’S BIBLE 


Sambo was a poor negro slave living 
in the island of Jamaica. He had a 
good master, but he had something 
still better, namely, a loving Friend and 
Saviour, who filled his simple heart 
and narrow life with joy and gladness. 

Sambo’s mother was a Christian 
negro woman. Among the few posses¬ 
sions which she could call her own was 
a tattered copy of the New Testament. 
Though worn and fragmentary, this 
book was prized by her far above all 
the silver and gold of this world. 

Sambo, too, had learned to read from 
this precious book; therefore, when his 
feeble old mother lay at the point of 
death, she admonished him never to 
neglect “the blessed book,” as she called 



ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


it. Sambo readily promised to com¬ 
ply with his mother’s wishes in this 
respect. 

When his day’s work was done, he 
would sit down in the shade of the al¬ 
mond tree before the door of his hut 
and thumb the precious book which 
his mother had valued so highly. But 
reading was for Sambo a laborious 
process; often he would have to spell 
his way through the long words, and 
many a verse he would read over and 
over again, while he scratched his 
woolly head in a vain effort to grasp 
its meaning, calling upon God for the 
help and guidance of His Holy Spirit. 
It would be well if all of us would fol¬ 
low Sambo’s example and seek guid¬ 
ance from on high when we read the 
Word of God. 

Sambo learned many chapters of the 
Bible by heart, or as a little negro boy 
expressed it, “he put the book into his 
head.” But it was not only for his own 


120 



SAMBO’S* BIBLE 


sake that Sambo studied the Bible so 
faithfully; it was also the great desire 
of his heart to impart its precious 
truths to the other negro slaves who 
toiled in the sugar refinery or in the 
fields among the sugar cane. 

But even Bibles wear out. The 
rough toilworn fingers of the negroes 
played sad havoc with the precious 
book. The covers fell off, the binding 
fell apart, until at last all efforts to 
patch it up proved in vain. Leaf after 
leaf was lost or worn to tatters, until 
there remained but a poor battered 
fragment of the original volume. 

As time passed, Sambo, too, became 
old and worn out. His master finally 
granted him his freedom and gave him 
a little hut to live in. The old negro 
was now more anxious than ever to 
converse with his black friends and 
comrades about the salvation of their 
souls. But although he remembered 
much of what he had read in the Bible, 


121 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


he no longer had the book itself to 
prove that what he said was true. 
Therefore many of his former friends 
refused to listen to him. 

“What you say may be true,” they 
declared; “but show it to us in the 
book, prove it by the book!” 

But alas, Sambo had no book to show 
them. He had heard, however, that a 
large shipment of Bibles had recently 
arrived in Kingston, the principal city 
of Jamaica, and that they were to be 
sold at a very reasonable price to all 
who wished to buy. 

But Kingston was SO miles away 
from Sambo’s little hut — a long road 
indeed to travel on foot for an old man 
like Sambo! To this was added the 
circumstance that it was impossible to 
travel in the middle of the day on ac¬ 
count of the intense heat. Only early 
in the morning or at sundown was he 
able to proceed on his way. Never¬ 
theless he made such progress that he 


122 


SAMBO’S BIBLE 


at length arrived at the home of the 
missionary, where the Bibles were of¬ 
fered for sale. There they were — 
whole shelves full of Bibles, beautiful¬ 
ly bound and with gilt lettering on 
their backs! 

“O, Massa,” he cried; “how large, 
how grand they are!” 

“Yes, my friend,” the missionary re¬ 
plied, “they are indeed good and beau¬ 
tiful books.” 

“I want to buy this,” Sambo de¬ 
clared, pointing to a copy with large, 
clean type which he had been exam¬ 
ining, and which was just adapted for 
his dim old eyes. “How much does it 
cost?” 

“One dollar and fifty cents,” the mis¬ 
sionary replied. 

At this announcement Sambo’s black 
face took on an ashen hue, and the hap¬ 
py sparkle in his eyes faded away. 

“O, dear Massa, this is all I have!” 


123 


ELSA’S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


he cried, digging a silver dollar from 
the pocket of his tattered coat. 

The missionary tried to explain that 
the Bibles were large and well-bound, 
and really worth much more than he 
asked for them. But Sambo could 
only repeat with a sad shake of the 
head: “This is all I have!” 

“What is your name, and where do 
you come from?” the missionary kind¬ 
ly inquired. 

His astonishment was great when he 
learned that his black . brother had 
traveled 50 miles on foot over the sun- 
heated highway in order to procure a 
Bible. Turning to Sambo, he said: 

“A man who is willing to make such 
a personal sacrifice must be a person 
on whom I can depend. I will not let 
you depart for your distant home with¬ 
out a copy of the Bible you prize so 
highly. But tell me, Sambo; will you 
promise me to pay the extra half dollar 
as soon as you are able?” 


124 


SAMBO’S BIBLE 


“That I will, Massa!” cried Sambo, 
overjoyed at his good fortune. With 
the precious Bible tucked under his 
arm, and with joy beaming from his 
black countenance, Sambo set out for 
home with lighter steps than he had 
come. 

Late one evening, just at the time 
when the slaves ceased their labors for 
the day, Sambo arrived at his humble 
home. 

“Hello, Sambo! You done got back 
already?” cried his black friends by 
way of greeting. 

“ ’Deed I has!” Sambo declared jub¬ 
ilantly. “And see what I done brung 
you!” So saying, he lifted his beauti¬ 
ful Bible high above his head, so that 
all might feast their eyes on it. 

“Read it for us! Read it for us!” they 
cried in chorus. 

Tired as he was, the* old negro sat 
down in the circle of his black brethren 
and read to them the third chapter of 


125 


ELSA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 


St. John’s Gospel. With clear and 
steady voice he repeated the beautiful 
word?: “And as Moses lifted up the 
serpent in the wilderness, even so must 
the Son of man be lifted up; that who¬ 
soever believeth may in him have eter¬ 
nal life . For God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth on him should not 
perish , but have eternal life A 

“Good! Fine!” the negroes cried, 
as large tears trickled down their 
swarthy cheeks. 

Solemnly Sambo continued reading: 
“For God sent not the Son into the 
world to judge the world; but that the 
world should be saved through him.” 

“Very good! Much too good!” the 
negroes cried in unison. “More Sam¬ 
bo; read more!” they pleaded, as Sam¬ 
bo closed the book. 

“No,” Sambo declared firmly; “I 
can’t read any more, because the book 
is not paid for yet. “How much will 


ELBA'S MISSION CONTRIBUTION 

you, Jack, give me to help pay for it; 
and you, Tom; and you, Nicodemus?” 

Promptly the assembled negroes dug 
down into their pockets and dropped 
their contributions into Sambo’s hat, so 
that before they parted that evening 
Sambo had in his possession the half 
dollar necessary to complete the pur¬ 
chase of his precious Bible. 

After resting a few days Sambo 
again started on his wearisome journey 
to Kingston, where the missionary re¬ 
ceived him with joy, deeply touched 
by the poor old negro’s example of 
fidelity and trust. 

As for Sambo himself, he was over¬ 
joyed to have in his possession a com¬ 
plete copy of the Holy Bible, which 
continued to be his comfort and main¬ 
stay for the rest of his days on earth. 
He seized every occasion to read from 
it to his black friends, who never tired 
to listen to him. 

Dear children, you who have read 


127 


SAMBO’S BIBLE 


this story; What is the Bible to you? 
Is it a book which you neglect, and 
which you can well live without? Or 
is it possible that it has become just as' 
dear and precious to you as it was to 
poor old Sambo? 

“The Bible! the Bible! blest volume of truth, 
How sweetly it smiles on the season of youth! 
It bids us seek early the pearl of great price, 

Ere the heart is enslaved in the bondage of vice/’ 





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